Tightrope
by Kadaj
Summary: They had an interesting relationship, Lyra and Proton. One moment they're battling like it's the end of the world, the next moment eating dinner together in a nice Italian restaurant. Lyra x Proton, ONESHOT


Lyra's screams fell on deaf ears as she struggled to cling to the ledge, eyes starting to tear up as she sensed her death drawing nearer. Her legs dangled helplessly in the chasm, her fingers slipping with ever passing moment. She was cursing herself inwardly, angry at the fact that she had been so careless in the Burned Tower. Palms sweaty, she couldn't even bring herself to release one of the Pokemon strapped to her belt. Terror had seized her body; her brain wasn't functioning.

Lyra's gaze shot up as her hands were firmly seized; roughly, she was yanked up onto the edge, falling into a warm body that fell backwards onto the floor with a curse. Eyes stinging, she looked up quickly, fear filling her eyes as she realized just whose lap she was sitting in. Letting out a yelp, she stumbled back, almost falling into the chasm if the Rocket hadn't grasped her hand once more.

"T-Thank you," she whispered shakily, her gaze falling to the floor, anywhere besides those cold green eyes. She could hear the smirk in his voice as he laughed.

"Do you try to get yourself killed just so people will come and save you?" Stuttering, she turned to him quickly, body heating with the rage pooling in her veins.

"Excuse me?" was all she could think of, gritting her teeth and clenching her fists. Forget the fear. That was long gone. The green haired executive let out a deep, smooth laugh, one that made chills run up her spine. Handsome face glued to hers, he got to his feet, brushing off his uniform carefully. Of course it had to be him.

"So now what do you owe me, hmm?" Gritting her teeth once more, she bent down, roughly grabbing her discarded bag off the floor.

"So you save someone and then you demand something in return? You really are despicable," she spat, smoothing down her flattened hair. No more hat; it had fallen deep inside the hole and she wasn't going looking for it. She felt naked without it though.

"How about a date?" he asked, smoothly avoiding her comment about his personality. He smiled at her, brushing away a strand of his green hair. The nerve of him! Growling, she roughly shoved past him, eyes glued to the floor as she moved away from Proton.

"You're unbelievable!" she yelled as she pushed open the old doors, hearing the laughter of the Rocket echo in the old building as the doors shut behind her.

She sighed, taking a seat outside on the bench. She had just finished beating Morty for the badge. It had been a rough fight, it was late, and she was exhausted and hungry. She frowned as her stomach growled. Guess it was time to find a place that was still open.

"Are you ready now?" She jumped as Proton's voice broke the silence; he was there, leaning on the top of the bench with his elbow, eyes sparkling at her. His usual cap was missing from his head, as was his Rocket uniform. Instead he was dressed in a simple black v-cut, jeans, and sneakers. Butterflies jumped in her stomach for a split second; she forcefully pushed them away. Shoving her nose in the air, she crossed her arms, purposely turning her face away from him.

"I am not going out with you, Proton!" she said defiantly, the fear from earlier almost completely vanished. There was no sense of animosity about him, a nice change from the first time the two had actually met in the Slowpoke Well. She supposed it was just because they were becoming used to one another. Proton simply tsked at her, waggling one bare finger; it was weird to not see him in gloves. His hands were smooth and flawless; it was clear he did not do a lot of manual labor. Her stomach suddenly growled again, making her cheeks redden. She quickly covered it, hunching over slightly. Proton laughed.

"Come on Lyra. You're hungry. I'm hungry. Let's just forget we're enemies for one night and get some food, ok?" He sent her his usual smirk; it seemed it was impossible for the man to just smile normally. Lyra sighed, brushing away a loose strand of hair from her face; she really wished she had her hat right now. Rolling her eyes, she turned back to him.

"Fine."

"You look better without the hat."

"Huh?" she asked, returning back to the sound of Proton's voice. She had been distracted by the late night Pokemon battle outside, her eyes filled with excitement as the two trainers reached the end. Turning back to Proton, she looked at him questioningly. He laughed once more; that laugh was already starting to grow on her nerves

"I said you look better without that goofy hat. Glad you lost it," he said winking, taking a bite of his soup. Lyra wrinkled her nose, shoving a piece of bread in her mouth in a very unladylike manner. This made him grin widely. "You're certainly the most unique woman I've ever taken out on a date before." Lyra turned away, glaring at the wall of the restaurant. She felt like he was just trying to set her off…and it was working.

"It's not a date," she mumbled, not caring that her mouth was stuffed with a huge amount of bread.

"I'm going to pay."

"No you're-"

"So it's a date." At this Lyra merely sighed, swallowing the last of her bread. The food was amazing and she had been starving. Absentmindedly, she fingered the pokeball strapped to her belt. A few weeks ago, the two would've been going at it, battling with all their might. Now they were at dinner at a nice Italian restaurant. Man, things were screwy.

Try as she may, when the check arrived, she couldn't grab it in time. Smirking, Proton pulled out the cash, smoothly dropping it into the hands of the blushing waitress.

"Keep the change."

"T-Thank you!"

All Lyra could do was stare awkwardly at the tablecloth.

-  
Somehow they had ended up walking through a nearby park. It hadn't been her plan, and she would've rather jumped out of there as fast as she could. Proton had been very…insisting. She kicked a nearby pebble, watching as it ended up plopping into the lake.

"Why ask me out on a date?" Proton said nothing at first, simply sitting down on the edge of the lake; he patted the spot next to him. Lyra complied…but stayed a good distance away. This made him frown, but did nothing to shut him up.

"Things are going to be…very complicated soon."

"Huh?"

"I figured now would be probably the only time I could ask you to come out with me." Lyra stared at him, puzzled, as he let out a sigh. "Look Lyra. No matter what happens, promise me you'll stay out of Team Rocket's business. It's going to get dangerous, you shouldn't-"

"I shouldn't what?" she interjected rudely, crossing her arms in defiance. It did not affect him in the slightest.

"You shouldn't get involved. You may get hurt and I may not be able to stop it." At this she paused, giving him a look of bewilderment. She watched his face carefully, watching as he started to toss pebbles into the calm water, making a small splash every time he did. A nervous habit. He was definitely uneasy. Warily, she moved closer to him until she was nearly touching him. She did not make eye contact; he did not move.

"I can't just stand by and do nothing," she mumbled, purposely making it so that he could barely hear it. Out of her peripheral vision, she saw him turn and stare at her, face unreadable.

"I was protecting you before, you know." Lyra's head popped up; she stared at him in puzzlement.

"What?"

"I was protecting you. By purposely running into you, and being the one you battle, I was able to make sure that none of the Rockets hurt you. Because believe you me, if someone like Petrel had found you, you would not be standing." She shuddered, a multitude of images flooding her thoughts as to what that could mean. "But I don't know if I can do it anymore. They're catching on. They want to take you down themselves."

"Why do you want to protect me?"

"Because Lyra."

"Because…why?" No answer. He just stared at her. "Because why, Pro-" She was silenced when his lips pressed gently to her own. Eyes wide, she didn't know how to respond. All she could do was close her eyes, and melt into his touch. She did not find herself pushing him away, nor feeling disgusted. It just…felt right. Feeling his tongue push at her lips, she slowly opened them, shivers running up her spine as their tongues fought together, trying to overcome the other for dominance. She wrapped her arms around his neck, deepening the kiss; Proton made an approving sound.

All too soon it ended, Proton being the one to break away. Awkwardly, he turned away from her, blushing for the first time that she had ever seen. It was quite adorable, she thought, trying not to smile. Quickly, he got to his feet, stumbling slightly as he did so. Lyra mimicked him, brushing off her blue overalls.

"Proton…I-"

"I gotta go Lyra…please don't try to be a hero," he said quietly, gently grasping her chin with his bare hand. She leaned into his touch, pressing her own hand against his. He gave her a sad smile, before letting go of her, turning, and running towards the gate of the park. She fell to her knees, overcome with the thousands of thoughts spinning around her head.

The next day when she received a call from Elm about Team Rocket taking over the Lake of Rage, her heart sank. But at the same time…she knew what she had to do.

Holding her head up high, she slung her pack on her shoulders, heading in the direction of Mahogany Town.


End file.
